William f



which are used for displaying the wares of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. scorr, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO IRA A. JONES AND JOHN A. DUGAN, on SAME PLACE.

DISPLAY-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,799, dated March 1, 1898.

Application filed September 29,1897. Serial No. 653,476. (No model.)

-.I do declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specificabl .011 I 7 My invention relates to that class of racks manufacturers and merchants; and it consists in a rack of novel construction whereby the wares, particularly china and like wares, may be supported and displayed in various attractive positions and the relative situations' of the articles varied, the rack comprising a group of two or more peculiar supports flexibly connected together.

It further consists in the parts and combination of parts, as will be more fully described hereinafter and claimed.

My object is to provide a rack of this character which may be used either singly or in groups to obtain different efiects and place the articles thereon in varying attractive and artistic positionsand which shall be durable in use and simple in design,so as to be cheaply manufactured, and I attain this object in my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 Figure 1 represents a plan view of my rack, showing one of its varied positions; Fig. 2, an end view of one of the detached supports, on which is a dish or plate in position; Fig. 3, a front view of one of the detached supports, showing a plate in dottedlines thereon; Fig. 4:, a plan view illustrating another position in which the rack may be arranged; Fig. 5, an

end view of a modified form of base; Fig. 6,

an end'view, and Fig. 7 arear view, of fragmentary portions of still another modified form of construction of the base.

In the drawings, A designates the center, B the right, and O the left supports forming my rack.

D, E, F, K, and L are bases.

G, H, and I are frames, andJ J are connecting-links.

In construction I make a suitable base, which when made of wood is usually in the form shown as D E F, the center base having squared ends, while the outer ends of each of the right and left bases are beveled, and the'top edges of all aresuitably beveled or chainfered. In some cases instead of a wood base I make a base L of wire integral with the frame, the two ends being suitably joined at n and connected by means of solder or by a sleeve, and in such a base I form loops k at the lower corners, to which the connecting-links are attached. In other cases I make a base of sheet metal, of any desired kind, in the form shown as an end view in Fig. 5, the base being hollow. In this and in 70 the wooden base the frame is attached at the top by suitable means, the wood base preferably having holes, into which the lower ends of the wire forming the frame are driven or pressed. I may attach to each base any numher of frames desired, preferably from one to three.

The frame of each support is composed of wire made of any desired metal, preferably of iron, and may be galvanized and polished, 8o plated or lacquered, and consists of a front elevated bar 2', bent slightly at its center toward the base, the ends it beingbent downward, forming the upright parts f, which at their lower ends 6 6 each form a foot and bend backward and upward at varying angles d c, and being bent to extend horizontally, as b the bars I) b, form corners against which the bottom of the plate M rests, while its edge rests either upon whatever the support stands 0 upon or upon the feet e e of the support, and if a large plate it is prevented from tipping backward by the bar '5 or posts f. The bars b I) extend downward, as a a, to the base. The parts a a of the frames are farther apart 5 in the-right and left supports than in the. center support, the latter being set closer, so that the edges of adjoining plates may have more clearance. The frames forming a group preferably vary in size to attain the best efroo fectsin display. The links J are made in any suitable de= sign, such as a linked safety-chain, and of any desired metal, and are secured at each end on to a base, so that any two or more bases are flexibly connected and capable of independent adjustment of position within the limits of the flexible connection. hen desired, the supports may be used separately by detaching the links, but the latter is a convenient aid in gaging the relative positions of the supports forming the rack, so as to produce an artistic effect of the wares, many different positions besides those shown being attainable.

The rack is adapted for displaying one or more plates, chop-dishes, fruit, and other dishes. hen it is desired to produce a rack at the minimum cost, I make the wire base as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A display-rack of the class described consisting of the base adapted to support a frame, the wire frame having two upright members secured to said base and having two angular portions adapted to support the back of a plate or the like and having two angular portions forming supporti ng-feet situated forward of said back supports, said feet being connected by a raised horizontal member, said frame being formed integrally of wire and bent as shown, substantially as set forth.

2. A display-rack of the class described consisting of a plurality of bases D, E, F, flexible links J each connecting two ends of bases, a wire frame secured to each of said bases, each of said frames having supporting-feet and elevated members against which a plate may rest and supports against which the back of a plate may rest, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a display-rack of the character described, the combination of the bases comprising independent members, the chains connecting said bases, the frame attached to each of said bases and having members adapted to support the rear of a plate and forwardly-situated feet and members adapted to retain the lower edge of a plate, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a display-rack of the character described, the combination of the bases comprising independent members and each adapted to support the rear of a frame, the chains connecting said bases so as to form a group, the frame attached at its rear portion to each of said bases and composed of wire and bent as shown, each of said frames having forwardlysituated feet and adapted to support the lower edge of a rearwardly-inclined plate and angular projections adapted to support the rear of such inclined plate, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a display-rack of the character described, the combination of the frame composed of wire and comprising the front elevated horizontal bar, the connected upright parts which at their lower ends form feet to support the front of the frame and with said horizontal bar are adapted to support the lower edge of a plate,the continuing u pwardlyinclined angular portions terminating in angular corners or projections adapted to support the back of a plate, the continuing horizontal portions bent downward to form the rear portion of the frame, and a supportingbase attached to said rear portion of the frame, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM F. SCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

WM. II. PAYNE, E. T. SILVIUs. 

